William stephenson



(No Model.)

W. STEPHENSON. THRESHING MACHINE FEEDEIEL.

No. 603,978. Patented May 10,1898.

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'll'iarrn TATES WILLIAM STEPHENSON, OF MORRIS, CANADA.

. THRESHlNG-MACHINE FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,978, dated May 10,1898. Application filed March 17, 1897. Serial No. 628,038. (No modellPatented in Ganada January 28, 1896, No. 51,157-

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM STEPHENSON, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Morris, in the county of Provincher, Province ofManitoba, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Threshing-Machine Feeders, of which the following is aspecification, and for'which I have obtained Letters Patent in theDominion of Canada on the 28th day of January, 1896, No. 51,157.

Myimprovements relate to an arrangement of conveyers which carry thebundles of grain to the threshing-machine cylinder and which areactuated through automatic speed regulating and checking devices, so asto prevent any choking of the machine in feeding. In the accompanyingsheet of drawings, which forms a part of this specification, Figure 1 isa top view showing one end of a threshing-machine together with myautomatic feeder. Fig. 2is a longitudinal section along the line 00 0cof Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows the device for varying the speed of the lowerconveyer.

The feeder consists of two suitably mounted and driven sets of endlessaprons, each made up of belts and cross-slats and provided with knivesor teeth. These aprons are located one above the other and convey thebundles of grain to the threshing-machine cylinder A. The lower apron Bis the longer of the two. It consists of two sets of endless belts orchains 5 b, to which cross-slats s are attached. These slats haveprojecting teeth t. A slotted platen 19 covers and protects thecarriers. The bundles of grain are placed upon this platen. The teeth ofthe lower apron project through the slots in the platen and engagingwith bundles of grain move them under the upper apron G. This apron isshorter than the lower apron and travels more rapidly. It is alsoprotected by a slotted platen p, which is below it. Knives 7c arecarried by the slats of this apron and project downwardly through theslots in the platen. The framework which carries the upper apron ishinged at its rear end to the frame of the machine, the shaft 6, throughwhich the apron is driven, serving as the hinge. At the front end thetraveling apron and its supportingframework are free to rise or fallaccording to the amount of grain piled upon the lower apron and carriedby it under the end of the upper apron.

The cylinder of the threshing-machine is driven by power in any suitableway. The upper apron is also driven by power. For convenience the poweris taken from a small pulley g on the shaft of the threshing-machinecylinder by the belt h and pulleys v. and j on a counter-shaft 2' andbelt to the shaft Z. The lower apron is driven through a pair offriction-wheels. Of these the upper one mis mounted on and rises andfalls with the upper apron, as shown. The power to drive this wheelcomes from the shaft Z and through the apron. The power may, however, becommunicated to this wheel in any other way. The lower friction-wheel isformed of two disks n n, between which the rim of the upperfriction-wheel is engaged. Both of the disks revolve with the shaft 11by which they are carried; but at least one of them is left free toslide longitudinally and is pressed toward the other by a spring 0. Froma pulley g on the friction-wheel shaft 10 the power is transmitted by abelt 0" to the shaft v which drives the lower apron B.

The operation of the feeder is as follows: The bundles of grain areplaced upon the lower platen p and pushed forwardly by the teeth 15,projecting from the lower apron. These slide the bundles under theplaten 0, when knives K,because of the greater speed with which they arecarried by the upper apron C, out the bands of the bundles and cooperatewith the lower apron to carry the grain forward to the cylinder of thethreshing-machine, at the same time opening out the bundles. The normalspeed of the lower apron is such that it will feed the grain in theright quantity when it is piled on the lower platen to such a depth thatit will not lift the upper apron. When piled higher, the upper apronwill be lifted, and this will vary the position of the friction-wheels,so that the wheel m will engage with the disks n nearer their periphery,and thus the lower apron will be I.

rengage the friction-wheels and again start the lower apron.

By mounting the band cutting knives K upon the apron 0 instead of upon aroller the bands are first cut and the knives moving with and fasterthan the grain through a considerable distance and close up to thethreshing-cylinder thoroughly open up the bundles and deliver them tothe threshing-cylinder. Thus the knives not only cut the bands, but feedthe grain.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a feeder forthreshing-machines, the combination with a feeding-apron, of anauxiliary feeder mounted over the apron and capable of moving therefrom,and a differential friction-gear for driving the apron and consisting oftwo friction-Wheels the relative position of which is varied by theposition of the auxiliary feeder, whereby the apron is driven with aspeed varying inversely with the distance separating the apron and theauxiliary feeder, substantially as described.

2. In a feeder for threshing-machines, the combination of two apronsbetween which the grain is fed, one of the aprons being movable wherebyit may be moved away from the opposite apron by the grain, and adifferential frictional gear driving one of the aprons and consisting oftwo friction-wheels, the relative position of which is varied by theposition of the movable apron, whereby the apron is driven with a speedvarying inversely with the distance separating the aprons, substantiallyas described.

3. In a feeder for threshing-machines, the combination of two aprons,between which the grain is fed, a, pivoted frame carrying one of theaprons, whereby it may be swung away from the opposite apron by thegrain, a friction-wheel mounted on the pivoted frame and driven from thepivoted apron, and a frictiondisk bearing thereon and driving theopposite apron, whereby the relative position of the wheel and disk willbe changed, and the speed of the apron driven thereby will be variedinversely with the distance separating the aprons, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a feeder and band-cutter the combination of two traveling aprons,a pivoted frame for supporting one of the aprons, knives upon one of theaprons, means for driving one of the aprons, adifferential gear betweeni the two aprons, whereby one is driven by the other at a difierent andvariable speed, the gear consisting of two friction-wheels the relativeposition of which is determined by the position of the frame,substantially as described.

5. In a feeder and band-cutter, the combination of two traveling aprons,a pivoted frame for supporting one of the aprons, knives upon one of theaprons, means for driving one of the aprons, a differential gear betweenthe two aprons whereby one is driven by the other at a different andvariable speed, the gear consisting of two disks and a wheel engagingtherewith, the relative position of which disks and wheel is determinedby the position of the frame, substantially as described.

b. Ina feeder and band-cutter, the combination of a lower apron, apivoted frame mounted thereabove, an upper apron contained thereinwithin the frame, knives upon the upper apron, and a differential gearconsisting of two friction-wheels, the relative position of which isgoverned by the position of the movable frame, to communicate motion tothe lower apron, whereby the lower apron is driven from the upper apronin a reverse direction, and at a speed slower than that of the upperapron, the speed varying inversely with the distance between the aprons,substantially as described.

7. In a feeder and band-cutter for threshingmachines, the combinationwith an upper and a lower apron, driven in opposite directions, of aframe pivoted at its rear end and carrying the upper apron, the grainbeing fed between the two aprons, cutting-knives upon and moving withthe pivoted apron, and a differential gearing controlled directly by theposition of the pivoted apron to drive the lower apron at a speedvarying inversely with the distance separating the aprons, whereby thebands of the bundles will be cut and the bundles opened up and fed tothe thresher, and the aprons will be separated upon excessive feed ofbundlesto the lower apron, substantially as described.

Signed by me, at Toronto, Canada, this 29th day of January, 1897. 4

WVILLIAM STEPHENSON. Witnesses:

WM. LAIDLAW, FRED. LEAR.

